Bar Soap Lift

ABSTRACT

A bar soap lift made of a rigid, predominantly flat base with smooth rounded edges and slight concave bottom, concave interior, and a ledge formed where base and neck meet, where neck is smaller in diameter than base with multiple protuberances evenly spaced extending perpendicularly from the base on the neck sides upwards, all formed in one piece. 
     This device inserts into the bottom of a bar of soap where it embeds into the bar of soap and due to these protuberances, friction and suction are created thereby securing the soap bar in the device until removed. This device allows the soap bar to dry completely between washings, keeping soap fresh and dry, as well as minimizing the melting soap scum that routinely forms underneath a soap bar. Additionally, this device makes bar soap much easier to hold on to while washing, preventing the problem of a slippery soap bar.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,787,660 2,194,997 2,283,988 2,577,114 2,770,071 2,603,032 3,071,886 3,019,548 3,104,490 3,262,421 3,697,111 4,211,445 4,741,852 4,746,452 5,029,802 5,011,316 6,966,445

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

For hundreds of years people have used bar soap and yet endured living with the dissolving and messy aftermath. Though many types of bar soap holders have been invented and manufactured, not one keeps soap fresh and dry, as well as the surfaces it rests upon, so simply as my invention. When a bar of soap is placed on a conventional soap holder or other supporting surface, the soap remains in a pool of poorly-drained moisture. The result is a rapidly melting and dissolving bar of soap. No wonder liquid soap has superseded bar soap sales in the U.S. in the last several years. Bar soap, however, remains a more pleasant way to wash, thus, a solution must be found. And now it has.

Most inventions attempting to break this cycle of melting bar soap and its unwanted accompanying mess focus on an external holder of sorts. Enter my invention—unique and innovative—in that it is designed to embed into the soap itself, form a ledge to stop the soap from sinking through, virtually eliminates all soapy cleanup underneath the soap, and greatly increases the life of the bar soap. Requiring no hardware at all, my soap holder is a small bar soap lift design that gently pushes, or embeds, into a bar of soap where it remains throughout the life of the soap. It provides for a “stop”—that is, the soap, as it gets wet, stops at the ledge formed by the base of the soap holder preventing it from melting through to a counter top or soap dish. As well, my invention does not allow for drainage as in similarly styled soap holders. No drainage is necessary with my invention. This innovative approach to a bar soap lift is simple, inexpensive, amazingly effective, makes bar soap last many washings longer, and creates clean dry bar soap between uses, a clean dry countertop (or soap dish container) and even offers the added bonus of making it easier to hold on to the slippery bar of soap while washing.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

My objective was to, simply and inexpensively, solve the problem of melting messy bar soap, preserving its useful qualities for a longer time. Soap is created in lovely shapes and scents, and is meant to be touched and handled. It is pretty and beautifies bathrooms, kitchens and where ever it is used. Soap does not add to the wastestream nor require recycling, as does liquid soap receptacles. It is also, as stated later on, a more earth-friendly product than liquid soap. My invention includes a rigid, predominantly flat base with smooth rounded edges and slight concave bottom, concave interior, and a ledge formed where base and neck meet, where neck is smaller in diameter than base with multiple protuberances evenly spaced extending perpendicularly from the base on the neck sides upwards, all formed in one piece. This small, unobtrusive, aesthetically pleasing and smooth to the touch bar soap lift, embeds into a bar of soap and lifts it away from the moist and wet counter, or soap dish, solving the perennial problem of wet, messy, rapidly melting and unattractive to use soap bars and its concomitant mess.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a side view of the bar soap lift embedded into a bar of soap

FIG. 2 is a side view of the bar soap lift embedded into a bar of soap where the device shows through slightly to see how it embeds.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of my soap lift embedded into a bar of soap.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of my soap lift.

FIG. 5 is a top view of soap lift viewing the concave interior.

FIG. 6 is a perspective top view of the bottom of my soap lift.

FIG. 7 is a perspective top view of the top of my soap lift, looking into the interior.

FIG. 8 is a perspective cross-sectional view of the soap lift.

FIG. 9 is a side view of my soap lift.

FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view of the side of my soap lift looking into the interior.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

My invention, this “bar soap lift” relates to its use with bar soaps of just about all kinds, shapes and sizes found in the marketplace.

It is well known that bar soap makes a melting mess due to its requisite use with water to activate the soap's lathering and cleaning qualities. Right after use, the wet bar of soap is typically placed down into a moist environment where it begins to melt away. And the all too well-known mess occurs.

My objective was to, simply and inexpensively, solve the problem of melting messy bar soap, preserving its useful qualities for a longer term. I deem bar soap far superior to liquid soap for many reasons, some of them listed as follows: Soap is created in lovely shapes and scents, and is meant to be touched and handled. It comes in beautiful colors, shapes and composition. It is pretty and beautifies bathrooms, kitchens and wherever it is used. Bar soap does not require recycling as do liquid soap receptacles. It is reported in an article found on the Household and Personal Products Industry (www.happi.com) website that using bar soap is much more sanitary than liquid soap which, unless the container is sterilized before refilling, becomes a breeding ground for bacteria. Bar soap, on the other hand, dried thoroughly between washings, which my invention allows it to do, creates a more hygienic and pleasant washing experience.

In this time, 2007, there is so much growing awareness of our global responsibility, as to waste, and a compelling quote from the newly published, The Green Book, recommends:

-   -   “Use bars of soap versus liquid wash. It's less expensive, and         it saves packaging waste. The average bar of soap lasts for         about twenty showers, whereas a 16 ounce bottle of body wash         lasts for an average of eighty showers. But body wash costs on         average more than four times as much as soap. If every U.S.         household replaced a bottle of body wash with a bar of soap,         roughly 2.5 million pounds of plastic containers could be         diverted from the waste stream.”         -   from The Green Book: the everyday guide to saving the planet             one simple step at a time by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas M.             Kostigen     -   ISBN-10: 0307381358     -   Published June 2007 by Three Rivers Press

Not only is the bar soap lift reuseable, I would add that with my invention, an average bar of soap will last much, much longer than the estimated “twenty showers” as quoted above, thus utilizing the potential to significantly decrease waste upon the Earth that our children, grandchildren, and all future generations will inherit.

In summary, there are two most significant distinctions in my bar soap lift from other patents in this genre. They are:

-   -   1) The bar soap lift forms a ledge where the base and neck meet,         creating a ledge, or stop, for the bar soap to rest upon,         preventing it from sinking through to a countertop when wet.     -   2) The bar soap lift does not require drainage as others do,         thus there are no holes or openings in the bottom or sides of my         device. I find it unnecessary and even counterproductive to         allow for drainage if one of the clear objectives is keeping the         surface below the soap dry and clean. 

1. A rigid, predominantly flat base with smooth rounded edges and slight concave bottom (4), concave interior (5), and a ledge formed where base and neck meet (7, 9), where neck is smaller in diameter than base (7, 9) with multiple protuberances evenly spaced, extending perpendicularly from the base on the neck sides upwards, all formed in one piece (4, 5, 6, 7, 9). Relating Specifically to BASE
 2. Said base and neck form a ledge for bar soap to rest upon (7, 9).
 3. Said base can be round, as illustrated, or any geometric shape that is flat and rigid, allowing for a narrower in diameter neck to rise from it (7, 9).
 4. Said base has no holes for drainage as it is deemed unnecessary and counterproductive, distinguishing my invention from others in this genre (4, 5, 6, 8, 10). Relating Specifically to NECK
 5. Said neck has thin and rigid sides extending perpendicular and upwards from the base to easily pierce a bar of soap. The design as shown (5, 7, 9) is in a wave-like pattern, but any thin rigid sides would be effective and fulfill these multiple stated claims. Relating Specifically to PROTUBERANCES
 6. Said neck has multiple protuberances evenly spaced, pointing upward, that embed into the soap (7, 8, 9, 10)
 7. Said protuberances could be, but are not limited to, teeth, points, pyramids, triangles, nubs, scallops or other shape that grips. Relating Specifically to MATERIALS
 8. Said one-piece base, neck and protuberances could be made of many materials, including, but not limited to, plastics, stainless, marble, Corian™, porcelain, and ceramic. Relating Specifically to INNOVATIVE USAGES and FEATURES
 9. Said device, with its rigid, predominantly flat base, concave interior, ledge formed by perpendicular meeting of base and neck, and narrower diameter neck with protuberances extending upward from it, embeds easily into virtually any bar of soap (1, 2, 3).
 10. Said device, which when inserted into bar soap (1), holds said bar of soap up and away from the pool of water it is typically placed into after use, thus keeping soap dry between uses.
 11. Said device, when inserted into a bar of soap (1) requires no drainage mechanism because the bar of soap obtains no moisture from bathroom or kitchen pools of water. The soap remains dry and fresh between uses.
 12. Said device offers an aesthetically-pleasing form (1-10).
 13. Said device could be engraved with design or logo, and produced in a variety of colors including clear.
 14. Said device could be embedded with appealing designs.
 15. Said device uniquely forms a ledge for soap to rest upon (seen most clearly in FIG. 7).
 16. Said device when inserted into a bar of soap, makes gripping that bar of soap easier, thus allowing less slippage of the bar of soap from user's hands (1, 3).
 17. Said device when inserted into a bar of soap and left for the duration of that bar of soap, makes said soap last longer (1).
 18. Said device when inserted into a bar of soap, makes using bar soap more enjoyable and hygienic, since it is rendered dry and fresh between uses, eliminating bacteria growth on wet bar soap.
 19. Said device when inserted into a bar of soap, due to its raising the soap bar above the wet and moist counter, mitigates soap scum build up, resulting in less mess to clean up on surface below the soap bar (1).
 20. Said device grips the bar of soap securely and is extremely comfortable in the hands of the user due to its smooth edges on base (1, 3).
 21. Said device is reusable and can be used for countless bars of soap.
 22. Said device, when lifting an embedded bar of soap leaves a minimal mark on counter below as it rests on the outer ring of its base.
 23. Said device is smooth and comfortable in the hand due to its smooth and rounded edges on the base as it remains embedded in a bar of soap, making it an unobtrusive, helpful gripping device for its users.
 24. Said device can be used with any bar of soap, consists of a rigid one-piece material that inserts or embeds into a bar of soap with a simple push by its user. The suction and friction created by the thin neck and protuberances allows for a secure grip of the soap (2). This prevents the soap from falling out of the device when using.
 25. Said device remains in the bar of soap throughout the life of the soap or until user decides to replace the bar of soap. 